Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Heilly Station Cemetery, Mericourt-L'Abbe | IV. F. 16. | |
| 2. Website: | Comrades Lodge No. 2976. | ||
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Born 6th August 1871 at Turriff, Aberdeenshire and was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Lawrence, of 7, Crook O' Ness Street, Macduff, Banffshire. Married Jeanie Lawrence nee Laughlin 18th September 1903 at Hillside St. Edinburgh. They had no children.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 10/The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) |
10th (Service) Battalion (Battersea) ormed at Battersea on 3 June 1915 by the Mayor and Borough of Battersea. June 1915 : attached to 124th Brigade, 41st Division. 16 May 1918 : reduced to cadre strength after suffering heavy casualties. 17 May 1918 : attached to 39th Division. 14 August 1918 : disbanded in France. |
| Action : The Battles of the Somme 1916 |
The Battle of the Somme 1st July - 18th November 1916 is inevitably characterised by the appalling casualties (60,000) on the first day, July 1st 1916. Having failed to break through the German lines in force, and also failed to maximise opportunities where success was achieved, the battle became a series of attritional assaults on well defended defence in depth. The battle continued officially until 18th November 1916 costing almost 500,000 British casualties. German casualties were about the same, and French about 200,000. The Somme could not be counted a success in terms of ground gained or the cost, but it had a strategic impact as it marked the start of the decline of the German Army. Never again would it be as effective whilst the British Army, learning from its experience eventually grew stronger to become a war winning army. The German High Command recognised that it could never again fight another Somme, a view that advanced the decision to invoke unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to starve Britain of food and material, and in doing so accelerated the United States declaration of war thus guaranteeing the eventual outcome. 287 Brethren were killed on the Somme in 1916.
Captain Lawrence was wounded between 14-19 November 1914 as a 2Lt, but survived. His records show that he received a gun shot wound to the head and died of wounds on Tuesday, 19th September 1916 whilst in the service of his King and his Country. He is respectfully buried in Heilly Station Cemetery, Mericourt-L'Abbe, Somme, France (Plot IV, Row F, Grave 16). His estate totalled £582 and was willed to his wife who by this time had moved to 7 Herriot Hill Terrace, Edinburgh. Mrs Lawrence had wrote to Alexander's parents, but it would seem that they were not clear with this (about the death). A sad letter to the Records Office shows that her 3 sons were in the service of the King and two had now been wounded. She wished to know that Alexander did not suffer. There is the undertone that the parents may have believed that they were entitled to the estate and wrote to the War Office and to their MP to attempt to sort this out. The rules, however, are clear and Jeanie Alexander is the rightful recipient to the estate.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | A Scottish Lodge No. 0 S.C. | Scottish Constitution |
| Joined : | Aldershot Camp No. 1331 E.C. | Hampshire & IOW |
| Joined : | Comrades Lodge No. 2976 E.C. | Essex |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
13th May 1908 | - | - |
His earliest recording into Freemasonry was Lodge No. 832 (Scottish Constitution), however, limited details are known. He joined Aldershot Camp Lodge No. 1331 on 13th May 1908 and his membership ceased there on 31st December 1912. He is listed as number 244 in the register as a joining member into Comrades Lodge 2976 on 20th February 1911, and the Minutes record him as being balloted for on Page 126. Aged 39, he is stated to be a Sergeant Major with the Gordon Highlanders stationed at Goojerat Barracks. There is an annotation that he was "Struck off" Comrades Lodge 30th September 1920, which leads to the immediate question of how can this be if he died on September 9th 1916.
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley